3 Card Monte
by Rakija
Summary: Suzuki Corporation is hosting a play featuring the infamous Kaitou Kid, and Kuroba Kaito isn't casting for the main role - not for lack of trying of course. Meanwhile, his favorite little detective, Edogawa Conan, is presumed kidnapped or murdered...Future KaiShin


AN: Haven't written anything in a long time, so first chapter was an experiment! A bit of a longer experiment than I intended though O.o. 7k is honestly the longest chapter I've ever written and I'm hoping the quality didn't suffer from it or it doesn't feel like jammed down too much into the readers throats. If you see feel any of these things, please feel free to comment so I can improve.

Story will mostly alternate between Kaito and Shinichi's POV – the only exception most likely being this chapter. Also, beware slow updates. Why did I post this chapter up before I finished at least one chapter with the boys? Because, I'm a horribly compulsive chapter poster, that's why! And so I can hopefully finish this up before the Magic Kaitou anime actually reveals who the magician villain is...

And yes. The original premise of this was to see more people in Kid costumes (who may or may not be called Kudou Shinichi…)

Warnings for this chapter and beyond: child endangerment, most likely inaccurate portrayal of police enforcement and assassination, threats of slight torture, violence

xXx

Prologue: Disappearance

The wind was picking up again. Going up ten, twelve, thirteen...sixteen knots roughly, headed in the northwest direction judging from the way it was brushing up against her hair. She spared a moment to push back the stray strands that fell over her face and used the eye that wasn't currently jammed up against the scope to glance at the wind gauge at her side to confirm it. Not that she needed to of course. She was one of the best for a reason, and she'd gotten by with less. Two scientist and an ambassador buried six feet under in Middle-of-Nowhere, Egypt could attest to that; their corpses covered over by the massive dust storm that had kicked up just as she'd started loading up the shots - _although it was a real pain cleaning the sand out of the chamber after._

But the gauge had come with such a pretty, little gift package, compliments from her new boss, which included the latest AWM model sniper rifle freshly imported from the UK with custom fit grips and straps and enough bullet cartridges to take out a small army or, what was more likely to be the case, a small contingent of police officers from Division Two, and it would a shame not to put it to good use. So use it she did.

And sure enough, the gauge's red needle wavered between 16 and 17 knots just as she had expected which meant an easy shot for anything within half a mile radius. However, it was about three-quarters of mile that lay between her and her target which not only made for a less entertaining viewing experience - distance was key for a sniper, but there was just something about being able to zoom close up on the poor sod's face right before he kicked the bucket - but also made accurately predicting the bullet trajectory more trouble than it should be. Not enough to make her turn down the job but she was nothing if not a perfectionists at her art, and she wanted to get this just right - have the bullet pass straight through that gentlemanly monocle her target was never without. And that meant she'd have to be more attentive to wind conditions, particularly of those in the distance which would require some creativity on her part to check.

Luckily for her, this wasn't an open, middle-eastern desert but a sprawling metropolis in the middle of industrialized Japan where a decent _kaiten-zushi _was just a few blocks away as opposed to a few countries, and there were buildings. Lots of them. And they would keep the city insulated from the worst of the winds. They also ensured that the wind conditions would remain fairly steady and predictable throughout the city limits, leaving the only place she really had to check for them at the target building's location where the abnormally wide streets kept it relatively isolated from the rest of civilization.

With this in mind, she swiveled the sniper scope from where she had it focused on the skyline by the building - the place her target would eventually show up if he took his usual, flashy escape route - and down to the pavement below searching for any sort of hint to determine the direction and speed of the wind. A stray grocery bag, a wavering tree branch, anything would do really.

But...no.

It looked like the street cleaners should be commended for their exceptional work today - _and shot right after for making my job harder_ - because there wasn't a piece of trash in sight. Likewise, it seemed the police had been equally thorough and had all the banners around the target location torn down and the gathering of onlookers that usually characterized these types of events herded to the far side of the target building, limiting the number of not-so-magical thief hiding spots. And looking out for trees was out of the question all together because apparently the local mayor had never the turn of phrase "going green" as the city was just as barren as any Middle-of-Nowhere desert.

Which left nothing to work with except...

A flicker of white. There! She dragged the scope to the right and up where the proud blue and white colors of a Tokyo Spirit's fan flag mounted on a magazine storefront waved at her and which she vaguely remembered passing by when she first cased out the premise. She knew she liked them for a reason! ...well, for something besides the fact that the Tokyo Spirit's ace Hideo was the perfect piece of eye candy.

She turned the scope's dial to zoom in. It was one of those cheap plastic ones vendors typically sold for ten cents a piece at athletic stores or sporting events with a triangular face almost as long as her hand and a thin white rod that could barely support itself, but it was more than enough to serve her purpose as it caught the wind perfectly nearly bending double on itself and away from her intermittently as gusts of wind continued to buffer against it. If she were to wager a guess based on that she'd say the wind was going about...twenty-seven knots. Give or take two. Southwest, around ten or so degrees towards the South.

So she'd have to aim more to the left of her target if he was standing still. Four to five notches of the scope crosshair to the right if he rode his glider parallel to the wind and two notches above to make up for the shear distance. Maybe even add another to make up for the weather because the cold would increase the bullet's wind resistance. That is if her target opted not to bring out the glider propellers she knew he had from previous reports which would shake up the game a bit. But she could deal with them if and when the issue came up.

Satisfied with her mental calculations for the moment, she tilted the rifle back up so it could resume its vigil over the skyline. All that was left now was to wait here and twiddle her thumbs until the fireworks, or some equally obnoxious trick, went off. Then she'd get the chance to show the crowd a real show with a lot more red to go around.

She could just see it now.

A ringing shot. The plummet over a thirteen story drop. The crowd's giddy excitement morphing into horrified realization. And that lovely white cape stained the color of fine wine. Now that would be something really magical to see. A real, awe-inspiring, and truly once in a lifetime experience unlike the cheap gimmicks and sleight-of-hands her current target liked to employ. Just thinking about it sent a thrill down her spine, causing her to shiver from something that wasn't entirely the night's chill.

After all, a man could only die once. And to be one of the lucky few to see Kaitou Kid take that final plunge in person...

...Unless her latest partner-in-crime, Snake, was right, and there really was an immortality granting gem out there that Kid just happened to get his hands on. It would certainly explain how Kid could make his comeback after his stage 'accident' ten years ago. But that was assuming that Kuroba Toichi really was Kaitou Kid and that the man behind the monocle was still the same person. Snake seemed convinced at least. Wouldn't shut up about it in fact - how it _had to be_ the same person because Kid still had that same damngrin, that same damn look, and most importantly of all, that same damn proficiency for trickery and magic that had given away Kaitou Kid's identity as world-renowned magician Kuroba Toichi in the first place.

But she never did take much stock in the syndicate's bids for immortality (Raise the dead? Eternal life? What did she care? As long as it put a gun in her hand and gave her the chance to cut loose every once in a while, the cause didn't mean jack shit to her.) and was more inclined to think that the assassination attempt was botched up from the start. Because _really? _How could a bumbling, tacky-mustached, old geezer like Snake get the jump on anyone let alone _the_ Kaitou Kid?

The answer was obvious. He didn't. Because if he did, she and Snake wouldn't be busy freezing their asses off on a rooftop waiting for the second-coming of Kid to come out and play.

Which reminded her, when was the heist going to get started?

It was getting uncomfortable lying in wait here. The cement was still wet from the recent downpour, and the moisture was starting to seep into her leather frock making it squelch unpleasantly every time she shifted to keep her limbs awake. Not to mention her knees were completely exposed and kept scraping against the rough flooring beneath her. When this was all over, she would have to find the closest restroom and change into the spare set of clothes she brought along in case the mission got 'messy' - which they were, but in the completely boring and not how she had expected sort of way.

Ugh. There was no way she could salvage her dress after this.

But damn it, wasn't it supposed to be summer soon? Why did it have to go and rain? More importantly, why did it have to be so goddamn cold? At this rate, she wouldn't be able to feel her arms let alone the trigger underneath her fingers!

"Hey, old man! Snake-whatever!" she called out to her partner behind her, not bothering to budge an inch to take her eye off the scope. "What's the holdup? When's this guy going to get this show on the road?"

"Che, getting cold, Chianti?" asked Snake. Chianti could practically feel Snake eye her attire knowingly with as much disdain as he had when they first met. He didn't like this partnership any more than she did. "Just wait a bit longer, he'll show up eventually. He always does."

Chianti kicked her feet in the air impatiently. "Do I look like I care? Gimme the time at least!"

"Manners, girl. We may be partners, but I still hold seniority." In others words, a few choice complaints from Snake and she might end up being one line in the obituary or worse - demoted back to recon duty with no guns, no knives, no anything, just her making friendly with the locals and hoping something interesting came her way in the next year or ten. "A 'please' would do. Add a 'sir' and I might put in a good word for you."

_Stupid, walking fashion faux-pas, condescending, old..._"Then gimme the time...please." Like hell she would add 'sir'.

Snake hummed in amusement, probably enjoying any petty shots he could get in. There was a tell-tale fizz of match lighting up as Chianti's fellow assassin took his sweet time to light a cigarette before he continued on. "Why don't you check it yourself?"

Because she didn't wear a watch and her cell phone ran out of batteries was the truth, but admitting that wouldn't get him to tell her the time any faster. Would it kill him to be agreeable for once? Chianti inwardly sighed. This was beginning to be more trouble than it was worth, but backing down at this point would only give him more ammo for ridicule, so she continued on.

"But then I might end up missing our favorite dove!" whined Chianti. "Besides, your part's already done," she said, jerking her thumb backwards towards the dead man they hadn't bothered moving much from the stairwell door where they killed him - a traitor who'd taken to cataloguing some of the organization weapon caches and the syndicates NOC's in his handy notebook, planning to auction the information off to the highest bidder. No doubt, he'd been hoping to use the recent confusion caused by the FBI-CIA joint takedown of the syndicate's main branch to slip under the radar. Unfortunately for him though, the syndicate had been keeping tabs on him long before its fall and what was left decided it was high time to clean house. "And you have nothing better to do, so might as well make yourself useful, right?"

"I'm only here to make sure Kid doesn't pull a fast one on you if he pops up."

That startled a laugh out of her. "Ha! Like no one knows about your track record! I bet you couldn't even catch Kid if he locked himself up and handed you the key!" Although on second thought, with the magician thief it wouldn't be too unexpected. In fact, Chianti would be downright disappointed in the thief if he hadn't done so already. She pressed on regardless. "Besides, there's no way he can spot us all the way over here! Now, the time?"

"I-He!" Snake sputtered outraged confirming her suspicions.

Chianti was tempted to turn from the scope to just see the look on his face. Instead, she settled for waiting him out and tapping a finger on the trigger expectantly, knowing she had won.

"...It's not my fault. The man can teleport after all," Snake said at last, more to himself than her, sounding strangled by the admission. But he relented nonetheless. Chianti heard faint metal clicks of metal links clashing together as Snake pulled his wristwatch into better view under the roof access light. "Three minutes till."

That made it score one-zip in favor of Chianti. Far from being satisfied from her small victory though, she could barely bite back the cry of frustration that was welling up inside her throat. Three minutes? Three minutes! She wanted to start shooting _now!_ It'd been forever since her last mission, and her trigger finger had been itching for action for weeks. If only that bitch hadn't sold them all out, then Chianti wouldn't have to bother with this lay low business all the time. (It was surprisingly difficult to go outing nowadays even when she wasn't visibly armed considering before no one had even looked twice at her when she'd been hanging out a window with a rifle in hand trying to snipe out the syndicate's cursed ghost, Rye.)

First stealing away the position of That Person's favorite, then getting Calvados killed, now this? Chianti bided the time away thinking of everything she'd do to Vermouth if the woman ever managed to dig herself out of whatever six-foot hole they'd buried her in, and Chianti got a hold of her. _Damn Kir stealing my kill!_

And soon enough, Chianti heard Kid's voice blare over the headset she had connected to the police radio feed, _"Ladies and Gentlemen!"_

Finally! "Showtime," Chianti sing-songed. She leaned further into the rifle scope in anticipation.

"Try not to get too carried away," said Snake, voice even again having apparently regained his composure sometime between Chianti's mental ranting and Kid's standard greeting. "With the main branch gone, it'll be harder to cover up if you make things too messy. Aim for Kid and no one else. The joints of his glider if you can. That way it'll be easier for our guys in the force to pass it off as an equipment malfunction."

"No need to tell me, _partner_." Chianti hid a grin behind her gun. No one could blame her if she missed a few times at this distance and ended up downing an officer that happened to be tailing Kid too closely as well.

Of course, Snake being the killjoy he was had to shoot that idea down. "And don't miss. You only have three shots loaded in there. The rest are blanks. Anymore and you might catch some unwanted attention."

It took a few seconds for that to sink in.

Wait, what? He had to be lying! Chianti briefly took her off the scope to pull out the rifle magazine with a quick tug, turning it around to examine it. It looked the same; it even had the smudge of lipstick she got on it before loading it up in the car trunk. And from what she could see it was loaded all the way, but... Chianti bounced the clip on her hand. Lighter than it should be. Which would make sense if Snake was telling the truth because blanks weighed less than real bullets. But Chianti was sure she hadn't let the gun anywhere near Snake before the mission, so when had he pulled the switch?

As if reading her mind, Snake clarified for her. "Spider's doing, not mine." The name sounded familiar and Chianti wracked her brain trying to recall where she'd heard that name before, repeating the name to herself a few times. _Spider, Spider..._Then it hit her. The syndicate's personal stage magician comparable to the 'deceased' Kuroba Toichi himself. Or so they say. Although it still didn't explain how Spider did it. The only time he could have done it without her immediately checking the magazine was when she was heading up to the roof, and the whole time she had the gun in a bag by her side. "Not that I can say I don't approved," said Snake continuing on. "It certainly makes my job easier. Our superiors know about your tendency to...get out of hand if you don't have a partner to hold you back. So they sent me to come along to not only watch out for Kid but to watch out for you."

_Sticks in the mud. All of them. _"And what's Spider doing butting into our business anyway?" Chianti asked aloud, finally turning her head enough to glare at Snake.

Snake shrugged. "He's a vagrant. Comes and goes whenever he wants. My guess is he heard about the Kid business and was just passing by. Or..." and here Snake looked a bit miffed, "...he's here on observation duty."

Observation duty as in on the lookout for traitors. Not backup for the backup then, but a watchdog for the watchdog? Huh. So even agents who'd been serving as long as Snake were or had been under suspicion. Although with treachery becoming something of a trend within the syndicate since Rye and Vermouth, Snake being on the watch-list was hardly surprising especially considering how many times he'd let Kid slip through his fingers. Honestly, Snake should be honored the syndicate held him in such high-esteem - thinking him a traitor rather than the hopeless incompetent he really was.

But Chianti didn't comment. She was in the same boat after all. Observation for Snake could just as easily be observation for her, and when an agent was under observation that meant the syndicate was close to letting them go. One misstep away from termination.

"You didn't ask?"

Snake scoffed, flicking an ember off his cigarette while he was at it. "With him, I'm not sure I want to know." Which could mean anything. But whatever. Chianti was no snitch. As long as she played her cards right and didn't cause too much of a stir it would all blow over anyways. So she wasn't all that concerned. What bothered her the most to her at the moment was the fact someone touched her gun without her knowing.

"You guys are no fun at all!" Chianti huffed in defeat, looking to the sky before continuing on to herself, wondering aloud. "Where's Korn when you need him? At least _he _knew how to show a girl a good time!" He'd probably join her too, shooting it up then _shooting it up_ and together they could have racked up a nice body count for the night, ranging in the double digits. Perhaps they could even pass it off as a gas leak or something and wouldn't that be a fairytale ending for the day?

But it was not to be, and all too soon her new partner was calling her back to reality. "Rotting away in a six by six cell. You'll be joining him if you screw this up. Now pay attention, something's going on."

"I know. I know," Chianti replied dully as she listened back in on the radio, pushing her earpiece further in to secure it.

She tuned in just in time to catch the tail end of an explosion going off, and _"-gah! Get it off my hair!"_ Well...that was one way to start things off. At least she knew one person was having fun right now. A long silence followed after that and then:

"_Anyone got a location on Kid?" _

"_I do! Kid's heading up the stairs! After him!" _yelled out an officer over the radio. The voice was smooth with a hint of a cultured accent, Chianti absently noted. She tried to guess what the man would like based on that. Sounded like he could be a looker. Maybe five-nine tall. Decent sized chest although a bit on the narrow side. Probably only had to shave once a month with that tenor.

"_Yeah, I see him over there!" _replied the gruffer sounding Officer Number Two in seeming agreement. A little harsher on the ears. Shave needed every other day, but he was likely the sort that didn't bother until the end of the week. A rapid, excitable quality to his speech so maybe an exercise on Sunday, Netflix on Monday, then work, work, work sort of guy. Chianti used to know a boyfriend like that - very cute and all for her job. Until he became the job that is and that was that. Certainly beat out a divorce though - a lot faster too.

"_That's not right because I just saw him he's over here!"_ retorted yet another who Chianti mentally dubbed Number Three. However, before she could even begin mock-profiling him, the angry voice of reason decided to intervene.

"_Over here, over there? We're on the damn radio, you idiots! Report the exact location!" _said a man's voice that Chianti recognized as belonging to Inspector Nakamori trying to re-establish some semblance of order. Not that it did him much good for the resulting babble was no more intelligible than it was before, and the officers were all spouting different locations at once.

"_Down the stairs, third floor! He's headed to the main amphitheater!" _said Number Three.

"_No way! I just saw him going up the hall. He's obviously heading towards the viewing gallery in the East Quarter!" _And there was handsome officer Number One again.

"_No, no, no! You're both wrong, he's in the indoor garden going to the-"_ But, whatever Number Two was about to say in the verbal ping pong was cut short when Nakamori burst in quicker.

"_Never mind. Just shut up, all of you! We're splitting up! Head to whichever sighting location is nearest to you!" _shouted inspector Nakamori who had evidently thrown in the towel for trying to sort out the chaos - but not for the chase if the continual stream of orders were any indication. The whole mess had Kid's name all over it. No doubt, he managed to get hold of Division Two's supposedly secure radio frequency like the assassin duo - or really, assassin and part-time assassin, part-time jewel thief - and was currently pretending to be one of the officers if not all of them.

However, at least one of those officers had to be real for when one said, _"Look up at the sky! He's already taken off on his glider!"_ there was Kaitou Kid in the air with his back to the moon as he made yet another grand getaway with his prize, looking back only to give his personal entourage a jaunty wave.

_Finally, we're at the good part!_ Chianti licked her lips and clenched her finger tighter around the trigger as she lined up her shot. "That's right. Be a proper gentleman and wave those lovely officers goodbye because the next time you'll be seeing them is when you have real white wings." _Almost...almost...lean a little more to left just like that and-_

"Isn't it a little cold for that dress, obaa-san?"

Chianti couldn't help jerking at the sound of her unexpected visitor and ended up pulling her rifle along with her. _Shit_. She had the perfect shot too! But even the minute adjustment was enough to throw it out of alignment. Had she heard that right just now? A kid? Not Kid but a real kid? Hadn't they locked up the only roof access point here? And most concerning of all, how had they not heard him coming? She shook her head to clear her thoughts. Nevermind, she had more important things to worry about like killing the thief. Snake could deal with their little guest.

"Snake, take care of the brat."

Chianti heard some resentful grumbling about being ordered around and footsteps as Snake presumably walked over to deal with the problem. "Now look here, little boy, isn't it a bit dangerous to be up here all by yourself?" Satisfied with Snake handling the situation, Chianti busied herself trying to line up her shot again, only paying half-attention to the events behind now that her partner was on it. What was the worst the brat could do anyway?

"But I want to see it!" whined the boy, the sound of a child-sized foot stamping on the ground emphasizing his point. "You're watching it too, right? The Kaitou Kid heist?"

"Well, yes, but you see-" Snake began, clearly bewildered as to how to deal with the child.

"Then, ojii-san, do you think you can pick me up?" asked the boy in the tone that only children and superiors could get away with that made the request sound more akin to a demand. "I think I could see it better if I was higher up, and then we can watch it together!"

"I don't think that would be the best idea."

"Pleeaasssee. My mom's sleeping, and she's been really busy, and I really don't want to wake her up watching the T.V, and I really wanna see it!"

"I-I..."

"Please, mister!"

"I suppose it couldn't hurt..." Snake trailed off haltingly.

God, if that brat's voice got any sweeter, Chianti was going to have cavities. She'd better get this done quick then so she could shut him up; Snake was clearly out of his depth. Fortunately, she didn't have to wait long because Kid was almost in her sight once again, and she was just four seconds and a finger twitch away from a mission accomplished.

_In three..._

_Two..._

"Thanks! You're really nice, ojii-san!"

_One! Now!_

"...Or should I say internationally wanted jewel-thief Snake?" Unfortunately, four seconds was also just enough time for everything to shoot to hell.

It was an odd hollow sound and the all too familiar thump of a body falling on the floor that finally put Chianti on full alert, and when she finally pulled the trigger, she only kept her eye one the scope long enough to see an explosion of pink revealing the Kid she'd hit was a decoy before standing up and spinning around, her mind quick to jump to conclusions. Had the thief teleported to them after all? Had Kid been the brat the whole time?

Chianti whipped out the side-arm she had strapped to her thigh underneath her skirt, surveying the rooftop from left to right for any sign of the thief's signature white cape. Her eyes barely stopped on Snake's form by the roof access, knocked out cold with a huge red mark on his face from who knows what, before skimming the rest of the area a second time. Still no Kid. There was something that looked suspiciously like a deflated soccer ball though. "Hiding, you cowardly thief?" she taunted, hoping to lure the magician out into the open.

"You mean, Kaitou Kid?" asked the boy's voice innocent as ever. "Silly! Even Kid would have a hard time teleporting this far!" It sounded off closer now. Chianti gave the roof a third scan but to little avail. Where? "Are you looking for me, obaa-san? Look down here!"

And Chianti did, only to be greeted with the child's victorious grin as he held up his wristwatch and pressed a hand to it. _What the hell?_

Then a shot rang out, and suddenly the brat's victorious grin wasn't so victorious anymore. He paled, collapsing onto his hands and knees as red blossomed across his legging. "Way too close. This little boy's too smart for his own good. He almost got you too, Chianti!"

Chianti looked up to her supposed savior, although she didn't really see how (What could a little kid possibly have over a trained assassin?). It was another boy - a young man really, but still far too young to be taken seriously - with shaggy hair that looked like it hadn't seen a comb in years and piercing blue eyes. He smiled. "It's Spider by the way," Spider said, holding out a hand for her to place her own in as if there wasn't a small boy bleeding out on the floor between them. She liked him already. Almost made her forget this was supposed to be the man who spoiled half her fun tonight.

Chianti placed her hand in his and allowed him to kiss it playing along before voicing what seemed to be the most obvious question to her. "Spider?" She eyed the youth before her dubiously. He had to be in his teens - early twenties at best - and what she remembered of Spider's reputation said he'd been in the business for as long as Kid had been a thief. Still possible, but Chianti somehow doubted he'd been bashing in heads since he was a tiny tot. "You seem a bit...underage for your accomplishments."

"Oh, I almost forgot I was still wearing it! You mean this?" Spider asked. He tugged at his cheeks, revealing their abnormal elasticity. A disguise then, Chianti should have known. Kid and Vermouth couldn't be the only two that had a monopoly over disguise mastery. "Just practicing my technique and feeling out the role for my next act. Too bad it's still not enough to fool Kid. My shoulders are way too wide for this." He made a show of rolling said shoulders. "Seriously, I don't see how that old man pulls it off at all, dressing as a high school girl all the time."

"Well, if you ever find out any of his secrets, why don't we meet up and exchange tips sometime? If those pictures of him in a dress are real, I need to find out whatever it is he's doing right." Because even the daily training routine Chianti did to maintain top killing form was not enough to cut a figure as fine as Kid's was apparently under the suit - there really was no hiding anything under some of those dresses he wore - and her age was starting to catch up with her.

So there was one point going for the syndicate's eternal life jazz. Didn't have to worry about an aging metabolism or wrinkly old skin.

"Nonsense, you look lovely just the way you are," said Spider, leaning in close to reach behind her ear. Chianti noted that on closer inspection his eyes seemed closer to violet than blue. He pulled back with a black rose in hand. "Now how about a pretty flower for the pretty lady?"

"The boy you're playing is not only handsome but a gentleman too?" she asked, warming up to him a little.

"A perfect gentleman when he wants to be." He gave her a conspiratorial wink and with a snap of his fingers the rose that was in his hand was tucked neatly in her hair.

Chianti grinned. "I'll have to get around to meeting him then. Who is he anyway?"

He looked at her mock-affronted. "You mean you don't know?" Then he paused, considering her. "Well, I suppose you wouldn't. They just transferred you to our division didn't they?" It was phrased like a question, but Chianti knew it was just a statement of fact and waited until he continued on his own. "Snake would recognize him though. It's _his_ son."

"Whose son?"

Spider backed up and spread his arms for a sweeping bow. "Allow me to reintroduce 'myself'. World's Greatest Magician Kuroba Toichi's son, Kuroba Kaito."

Chianti raised an eyebrow at the name. _Kaito?_

"He likes being ironic," Spider explained dryly, pulling himself back up.

But then her brain halted to a full stop. Red light. No go. Now rewind that. He still had son? Kuroba Toichi still had a _son_? Why weren't they jumping all over this? "Wait, if Kuroba still has a son then why-?"

Spider held up a hand to silence her. "Questions in a second, but first..." He picked up the boy that Chianti had mostly forgotten they'd left lying on the floor, looping one arm over the kid's chest and under the kid's arms to lift him up against his front. The boy struggled against the hold. "Let go!" he cried out, pushing out with his arms against Spider's larger one and kicking back with his good leg.

"I don't think you're in any position to make demands. Especially when..." The boy abruptly stiffened as Spider's free hand hovered over the other's injured leg. "You're a quick learner, little detective!" Spider noted cheerfully.

"But not quick enough." Spider plucked a small, teardrop-shaped earring from the boy's clenched fist. He waggled the device teasingly in front of its owner. Chianti was surprised to see what looked like number pad and what looked like speaker holes. She didn't even know cellphones came that small. "Trying to call for help? You didn't really think you could sneak this past me, did you?" Spider gave the little boy a deadpan look he probably couldn't see from under the adult's chin.

The boy only glared silently at the hand holding the device, then the empty space over Chianti's shoulder when the device disappeared with a flick of a wrist and the hand withdrew.

Spider looked up again at Chianti, apparently satisfied with his scolding and threatening of the child for the time being. "As for what you were saying earlier, let's just say Chikage-san, Kuroba-senpai's wife, phoned in a few friends from her old career who'd make a lot of noise if either her or her son disappeared, and the higher ups would like to avoid that scenario if at all possible. They're quite influential in some of our affairs. It's an option of course, but we'd like to reserve it for if Kid manages to get his hands on our _Amrit Ras_ before us."

Not quite getting the reference but understanding all the same, Chianti moved onto the question she should have asked earlier. "So what brings you here?" she asked, whirling back to gather her equipment now that they were moving to serious discussion and her assassination attempt was now right and truly foiled - by a little brat no less. Putting a man like Spider at her back fell all sorts of wrong - even if he did look like an eighteen-nineteen year old with a slightly goofy grin - and went against all her instincts honed from years on the job. But those years also taught her there was no use worrying for things she couldn't control, and more and more she was beginning to recall what Spider had done to earn his lofty position within the syndicate. If Spider wanted her dead, there was nothing she could do about it. Getting caught by anyone who might have heard those gunshots on the other hand...well that was why she was packing up.

"Assuming from your getup, you're on board the same mission as us then? Snake didn't seem to think you were." She threw a glance at her partner as she twisted the gun's safety on, but other than a twitch of his leg, he didn't move from his spot on the floor.

"I wasn't at the time," Spider agreed as he pulled more gadgets and various knick knacks from the boy's pockets - a piece of gum, a tiny badge. Spider vanished them as he went on and on. "I was waiting to see the results of the syndicate's latest attempt. See what Kid would do if he spotted you two. Imagine my surprise that it wasn't Kid that nearly did you in but this little boy here." He stopped his perusal for moment and as if in afterthought, poofed a blue silk scarf into existence and wrapped it around the boy's injury to stop him from bleeding out.

Another economical twist and pull of the wrists and off came the silencer, toss everything in the bag, zip, and she was done. Chianti turned on her heels to narrow her eyes at Spider annoyed now. "You keep saying that, but what makes you think I couldn't handle the brat by myself?"

Spider remained unruffled by her manner and pointedly glanced at Snake. "Ever wonder what took him out. Our pocket-sized detective here has more stuff in his bag of tricks than his nifty little handheld." He pulled at the boy's wrist with the watch while the boy himself watched on resignedly. Then Spider pressed a hand to the watch causing the top to flip up to become a small scope. Another press sent a glint of silver came flying next to her foot. Chianti bent down to examine it.

"A needle?" she asked incredulously.

"I know right! What are they teaching kids these days? Assaulting adults and carrying around what - tranquilizing needles, poison darts? I wouldn't have known too if this kid hadn't tried darting me down the hall." Spider looked down to the boy. "Thought you got be didn't you? What gave me away by the way?" Seconds ticked by as the boy remained stubbornly silent.

"...The smell of cigarettes and the fact you were carrying a fresh pack of them in your back pocket," said the boy once the quiet appeared to become too oppressive for him. He half-heartedly squirmed in Spider's hold - more to indicate he was uncomfortable with his position rather than another attempt to escape. When Spider didn't ease up his grip an inch though, the boy merely sighed and continued on with visible reluctance. "At least that's what made me suspicious. You barely look nineteen. Legal age to buy cigarettes is twenty. Assuming you're of age, and you got it from a store, you'd have to be carrying some form of ID. But when the guard down the hall asked you for proof that you worked here or identification, you said you left your wallet in one of the offices yesterday."

"Ah, but what's to say I didn't buy that off a street vendor or that some friends of mine bought a pack for me?" Spider pointed out.

"For the first, there isn't any street vendor that sells packs near this area as part of an anti-smoking initiative. As for friends and other reasons, that's why I said I was only suspicious. It's the shine from the adhesive on the underside of your chin that finally gave away that you were wearing a mask. That and..." The boy hesitated for a second looking down to the ground. "...you look like my cousin."

"That's right! I recognize you! You're the kid that's always in the papers! Kid's so-called ultimate rival right, Edogawa Conan." Spider hummed in thought. "So that makes your cousin the rumored deceased detective, Kudou Shinichi?" The boy flinched violently at the name and Spider seemed to take that as confirmation. "Kaito does look a lot like him, doesn't he?"

The boy didn't answer.

"And how did you know to follow Chianti here? I know Snake's on the wanted list but he's been up here all day, and I would have known if you were tailing me."

Again, no answer.

While Chianti was curious as well, the breeze was reminding her exactly why it was a bad idea to wear a short dress tonight, and she interrupted. "Can we quit interrogating the brat and get somewhere warmer already?"

"Of course, ojou-san," said Spider, one foot already half-turned towards the roof access stairs. "You have only to as-"

"And can you let me go?" The boy interjected plaintively. "I didn't see anything! I swear!"

Chianti couldn't help taking a page from Spider's book and bully the grade-schooler, scoring a little revenge for her disturbed shootout and the prolonging of their stay on the roof. "I wouldn't call getting shot in the leg not 'seeing anything', boy."

"I'll tell the police I didn't see who did it!" He insisted. And bless her horrible, dried up black heart. Was that the boy tearing up?

"Even if you did keep your word," said Spider, "it would be a shame to let such perfect Kid bait off the hook."

"Ehhh?" The boy looked up at his captor wide-eyed and confused.

Spider used the opportunity to snatch off the kid's glasses and held up the lenses to the moonlight, examining them. His eyes narrowed, and then lit up as he noticed something. "So what do you think? How fast will Kid come running for you, _tantei-kun_?"

The boy froze minutely at the nickname before he stuttered out his retort. "H-He wouldn't!"

"You don't sound very sure of yourself," Spider teased as he pocketed the glasses carefully away, no tricks this time.

"I...I." The boy stopped, seemingly at a loss for anything else to say. He hung his head low. "I didn't see anything," the boy said again as if that would somehow ensure his safe release and get him out of his situation. Well, far be it for Chianti to ruin that dream. The boy could keep thinking that right up until he was dead (Don't worry. As long as you play a good hostage, we'll make sure you get back home safe and sound.) and she'd be kind of enough to make sure he didn't see it coming. It wouldn't even hurt. Much. See? Who said she couldn't be nice to kids?

"We not only have a detective but a little liar in our hands! Don't think I didn't see you steal that dead guy's notebook." Spider finally loosened up his grip on the boy, but only enough to pull at the boy's thick jacket and un-tuck his shirt. The thick, brown notebook of her and Snake's earlier victim fell out into Spider's awaiting hand. "For shame, tantei-kun. So what does that make you now? A detective, a liar, a thief, a blasphemer..." Spider continued to tick names off.

But the boy was no longer paying attention to Spider. Instead, his eyes were intent on the book in the man's hands and one hand was drawing a circle on his shoe with such deliberation that Chianti knew he was up to something right away.

If the downfall of the syndicate and her just failed mission weren't enough clues that these past few weeks was karma being a bitch for all those poor, lost souls Chianti put down, what happened in the next few moments certainly drove the point home.

"Hey, Spider. I think-" There was a hum of charged static, and the last thing Chianti saw was a brown blur and the hard edges of the notebook.

xXx

Any comments are welcome! I am in a desperate need of some good ego stroking or an ego slam down. I'm not really particular to either - although I may or may not cry like the little girl I am if you choose the latter. Or neither, as long as everyone had fun even if I haven't reached the KaiShin part yet.


End file.
